Parenting

Make A Date With The Couch: Here A Few Of The Most Binge-Worthy Shows Returning This Fall

by Christine Organ
This Is Us
Image via NBC

Ahh…fall. The kids are back in school and the underboob sweat of summer is finally gone. Time to put on your favorite chunky sweater, grab a pumpkin spice anything, and park your ass on the couch. Because our favorite shows are back and now that it’s pitch-dark before dinner, we don’t have to feel guilty about vegging out on the couch.

Warning: There may be a few spoilers ahead.

This Is Us

When we left our favorite TV family, we were sobbing our eyes out over the death of Randall’s biological father, anxiously wondering whether Kevin would choose love or career, and speculating about the status of Jack and Rebecca’s relationship. When the show returns on September 26, we’ll apparently get a glimpse into Jack’s untimely death, but we might want to be careful what we wish for.

Will & Grace

After an 11-year hiatus, Will & Grace is coming back on September 28 — and it’s almost as if we’re back in 2006 again. Almost. Other than a few minor details, the apartment set will be the same and the whole gang is returning. Even Harry Connick Jr. and Minnie Driver are back as Grace’s husband and Karen’s nemesis, respectively. And we don’t have to worry about falling in love again only to have the show ripped away from us because the reprisal has already been picked up for a second season!

Stranger Things

Our favorite tweens and teens are back, and we can’t wait to be scared shitless by the freaky AF supernatural shit going on in this show. Season 1 left us asking so many questions — like What is really going on in the Upside Down? What kind of experiments are happening at Hawkins Laboratory? And where the fuck is Eleven?­ — and we can’t wait to find out when Season 2 returns on October 27.

Black-ish

Black-ish follows the Johnson family — a black family living in a predominantly white neighborhood. The show is smart and funny, and not afraid to go there with issues regarding cultural identity, white privilege, and Trump. Who can forget when Dre Johnson said, “I love this country, even though at times, it doesn’t love me back”? It still gives me chills, brings tears to my eyes, and makes my blood boil.

Season 4 returns on October 3, and we have no doubt it will be as riveting, incisive, and sidesplittingly funny as ever.

The Crown

Queen Elizabeth is best known for her tiny hand waves and four-cocktails-a-day routine, but this show delves into her relationship with Prince Philip, her father’s death, and her rise to the throne. Admittedly, I haven’t had a chance to watch this show yet, but it’s on my list because there’s something about royalty, romance, and politics that are utterly irresistible. You can watch Season 1 on Netflix now before Season 2 returns in December 2017.

Ozark

Take Jason Bateman and Laura Linney, a drug cartel deal gone awry, and a wealthy family who relocates to the Missouri Ozarks and you’ve got Ozark, which recently premiered on Netflix. I’ll admit, the first episode of Ozark is depressing and dark as hell, but it is captivating, that’s for sure. Mark my words, you will devour this show. In fact, it’s so good, it was already picked up for a second season.

Friends From College

Okay, so maybe I’ve had a teensy tiny crush on Fred Savage since The Wonder Years and he was a big part of the reason I tuned into this show in the first place, but OMG, this show is more than Fred Savage. It also stars Keegan-Michael Key and it is so damn funny. And smart. And funny smart. Just like the title, it centers on a group of friends from college, and like any longtime group of friends, they are not without their jealousies, secrets, and scandals.

Season 1 was released on Netflix over the summer, and — phew! — Netflix recently announced that it was picked up for Season 2.

So put the kids to bed early tonight, turn off your phone, and make a date with your couch. Everything else can wait. You’ve got a boatload of fantastic TV to watch.